T tt tut ttiatvt



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1;

J. H. McLEAN.

MACHINE GUN.

Patented Aug. 7, 1883.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. H. MoLEAN.

MACHINE GUN.

Patented Aug. 7, 1883.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. H. MoLEAN.

MACHINE GUN.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFF CE.

JAMES H. MCLEAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

MACHI E-con.

srncrrrch'rron forming part of Letters Patent No. 282,551. dated August 7, 1383.

I Application flledMarcli 7, 188]. (No model.)

' To all whom itmay concern.-

V complete form is made with a breech-slide reciprocating either vertically, horizontally, or obliquedy,'and -with plungers which take the su'ccesslve cartridges from magazines or feeders in the rear of the breech and carry them forward into the breech=slide chambers;which' are ,presented alternately above and below the barrels in the case of the vertical slide, or on the side thereof in the case of the horizontal slide; also,-with stops or receivers for the cartridge-shells, holding them in front of the breech and causing each to serve as a gage or w stop for the introduction of the next cardischarge of the successive barrels.

tridge in succession. The gun is also constructed with a simple mechanism for moving the slide, which may or may not effect the firing of the gun, as desired.

The invention also relates to an automatic firing mechanismconsisting of horizontal tappet studs or spurs fixed rigidly on the firing-pins, but adjustable toward and from the breech, and acting in the stroke of each pin to retract the sear of the next pin in succession, the adjustment of the tappet-studs on the firing-pins serving to regulate the rapidity of main firing-pin strikes a supplemental firingpin working in a chamber within the breech, and having a flanged heel and a retractingspring, causing it to act as a gas-check. The gun is mounted on a ball-and-socket joint, so as to permit universal adjustment for elevation or training, and is held in any position by one or more spring-bolts engaging in holes or notches, a large number of which are provided for the purpose over the upper half of the surface of the sphere. The globe of the ball-and-socket joint rests on small balls, preferably of soft or hard rubber, or other elastic The or semi-elastic material, serving to give a degree of resilience to the connections, and to take up the blow given by the gun in firing. The whole may be mounted on a saddle for use on the back of an animal, or on a tripod, where the arm is of comparatively small size,

or on a complete carriage or solid frame in a 'gun of large size. the right to make separate application for Letters Patent for the construction of this mounting. The reciprocating breech-slide is moved by a double bell-crank through the medium of hooked rods pivoted to the ends of said'bell-crank and engaged alternately by a longitudinally-moving slide or red, as hereinaiter described.

"In order that the invention may be fully understood, I will'proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a gun illustrating the invention, the .supportingsocket being shown in section. Fig. 2 is arear view of the breech, the cocking mechanism being omitted.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of a portion of the breech, showing the firing-pins in section, and indicating the position of the cooking mechanism in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is avertical section of the rear portion of the breech on the line 4. 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5is a vertical section of the lower portion of the breech in front of the part shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a back view, showing one of the firing-pins and apair of forks which act alternately to retract the firing-pin, as hereinafter described. Fig.7 is a rear view illustrat-v ing the application of the invention to a horizontally-moving breech-slide. Fig. 8 is a top view of the slide-operating bell-crank lever and its accessories. Fig. 9 is a side view of the same.

1 represents the frame or breech of the gun; 2 2, the barrels; 3 3, feeders or magazines adapted to conduct the cartridges to the required positions above and beneath the barrels in the case of the vertically or obliquely moving breechslide or on eitherside thereof in the case of the V horizontally-moving slide. The reciprocating breech-slide 5 is constructed with chambers corresponding in distance asunder with the barrels, and arranged in two tiers, one above I hereby reserve to myself I ball.

- the other, in the case of the veriieeily-meving i 1o. ties of the vertically-moving slide.

At 1 1 is shown a narrow' support extending I forward from the breech, in front of each orifice therein, for the reception of the successive cartridge-shells which are ejected from the I r5 slide-chambers by the entrance of new cartridges from the rear, said support thus holding the empty shell, so that it will serve as a" stop or gage for the feeding of the new cartridge into he slide chamber from the rear, on a- 2o principle similar to that which I have described in another application in the case of cartridges fed from the front the cartridges being con structed with a casing extending their. whole length--that is to say, as far as the point of the The feeding apparatus consists of plungers '12 12, which are preferably made, 'as shown, of a length equal to the entire length of the H cartridge, and the thickness'of the rear wall of the breech in addition. Said plungers are connected by rods 13 with rigid arms 14 14, extending downward and upward, respectively, from hand-bars 15 15', which are guided v by sliding rods 16, having a longitudinal move- 3 ment on thebreech, the operation being to actu'atethe upper and lower feeders in succession as the breech-slide 5 is thrown up and down. The crank arms or disks 9 are so'pro-- portioned as to reach a dead-center at the ex- 0' tremity of their upward stroke and thusfirmly sustain the weightof the breech-slide and hold it rigidly in itsupper position. The vertical arms are continued downward and upward in a the form of forks-17 17', to engage with 001'- 5 lars 22 on the firing-pins 23, said forks 17 17 being so proportioned that they will pass each other freely, and either will act independently to draw back and cock thefiring-pins 22 on the backward movement of either the upper or lower hand-bar. The firing-pins are held in their retracted or cocked position by sears.

24, engaging in notches 25 therein. The collars 22 in my present invention take the form of nuts adjustable on mutilated or partial screw- 5 5 threads 18 on the rear end of the firing-pins, the top and bottom surfaces of said firing-pins v t at this point being flat in order to guide and rigidly hold against rotation short sleeves 19,- which carry 'tap'pet studs or spurs 20, pro: jecting rigidly in'a horizontal po'sition, said sleeves 19 being firmly clamped between the nuts 22and supplemental binding-nuts21, s'o

' 'as to effect the adjustment of the ta'ppet-studs 20- lengthwise of the firing-p'ins-that is "to say, to or from the breech of the gunlhe [of one or more stop-bolts, 47,. retracted by a foot-lever, 48, and forced in by a spring, 49,

function of the said studs or pins 20 is to engage beneath the inclined rear faces of the sears 24, so that the firing-stroke of each firing-pinwill retract the sear of the next firingpin in succession and release the latter, caus-' ing a successive fire of all the barrels. The rapidity of such successive fire is. regulated as desired by the adjustment of the tappetstuds 20 on the. firing-pins 23, as explained. The rear ends of the firing-pins areprovided with buttons 26, for retracting them by hand separately when needful. The firing-springs are shown at 27, acting on .rigid collars on the firing-pins 23 within the. breech. 28 is a supplemental firing -pin formed with a flanged heel and retractedby a spring, 29, within its chamber in the breech of the gun, the nose 30 of the said supplemental firing-pin being driventhrough the small aperture in delivering its blow to the primer and instantly retracted within the breech, the flanged heel 31 serving asa gas-check to closethe firing-pin aperture at back. b The operation of the horizontally and ob.- liquely' moving breech-slide and other details of the loading and firing mechanisms are sufli-j ciently described in other applications made by myself, or made by MyronOoloney and assigned to myself. j 1 j The breech is fixed to a'solid sphere, 32, of 5 suflicient size, working within a socket, 34,so as to constitute a ball-'and-socket joint, the upper half of its surface being provided with 4 .a large number of apertures for-thereception' to hold the gun in any position to which it may be adjusted for elevation or training,- as'before. stated.

The. globe 32 rests on a number of small balls, 33, within the socket 34, said balls being preferably formed of hard rubber in order to afford some degree of elasticity and partially take up therecoil. In the present illustration I have shown the socket-base 34' supported on a tripod, 35 but it may, if preferred, be mounted on a saddle, or, in the case of a large gun ona carriage or a solid fi-a'mei The various features of my invention are, as already stated, adapted for use with either horizontally or vertically moving slides. For the portable gun shown in Fig. 1, and forshoulder-guns, the horizontally-moving slide is preferable, and may be operated, as shown in Figs. 7, .8, and 9, by a pull-rod, 36, acting alternately on hooks 37 37, pivoted to the respective ends of a double bell-crank. lever, 38, the'central arm of which has astud, 39, engaging with I aslot, 5, in the slide 5 as shown in Fig. 9, said slot being longitudinal to the gun and transverse to the slides line of motion, so as to impart a positive and rectilinear throw to the slide while describing-its own circular arc. Thehooks 37 37, when released from the concave hook of the pull-rod, are pr inward by'springs 4040, so asto avoid the hook 41' of the pull-rod 36 in its forward movement; but

each of the pivoted hooks, as the rocking of the bell-crank lever carries it to its forward position, rests against a stop, 42, holding it in centhe pull-rod36 forward each time as it is released.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a machine-gun, a reciprocating chambered breech slide placed within a recess formed in the breech of the gun, and a series of magazines or; feeders opening into the rear of said slide, in combination with a series of plungers operating to force the cartridges forward into the chambers of the slide from the feeders or magazines, said plungers being connected with a system of hand-bars having guiding-rods moving longitudinally in bearings on the gun-breech.

2. In a machine-gun, a sliding hammer moving in a channel in the gun-breech, and provided with a collar longitudinally adjustable thereon, in combination with asystem of handbars having attachments for engaging with the said collar of the sliding hammer.

3. The combination, with a sliding hammer moving in the gun-breech and provided with connections, with a series of hand-bars operating to' move said hammer into cocked position, and a scar arranged to hold the hammer in such position, of a hand-lever arranged to .engage'with the said sear to move it out of engagement with the hammer for releasing the same.

4. The combination of a sliding hammer provided with a longitudinally-adjustable collar upon its outer portion, and a tappet-arm held by said adjustable collar, with a second sliding hammer provided with a sear arranged to hold the hammer in cocked position, and provided with an oblique engagement-face upon which the said tappet-arm engages for releasing said sear from engagement with the hammer.

5. The combination, with a series of sliding hammers, each of which 7 is provided with a scar formed with an oblique engagement-face, and arranged to catch and hold said hammer in cocked position, anadjustable collar, and.

an adjustable tappet-arm controlled by said collar, and arranged to engage with the oblique engagement-face of the sear of the next contiguous hammer, of a catch arranged to engage with the oblique faces of the two central sears, and a hand-lever for producing the necessary movement of the catch for effecting its action.

6. The combination, with a sliding breechblock formed with an engagementslot, as described, of a bell-crank pivoted upon the gunbreech, and provided with a series of hooked arms controlled by springs and uided by a stop upon the gun-breech, and a 0 provided with a pin working in the slot of the breechslide, and a hooked pull-rod for engaging alternately with the bell-crank arms, and provided with an engagement device for effecting a contact with a similar engagement device attached to the sliding hammer of the gun, whereby the sliding hammer is moved into cocked position as the breech-slide is shifted.

JAMES HENRY MCLEAN.

Witnesses:

OCTAVIUS KNIGHT, WALTER ALLEN. 

